The perfect drone for traveling

The perfect drone for traveling

Does the perfect drone for backpacking exist? Drones have taken off in the last few years. But when it comes to purchasing a drone, there’s a lot to consider. First off, you’ll have to decide what your primary goal with your drone is. Do you just want to have fun? Or do you want to jump it to aerial photography and cinematography? To help you decide which drone might be best for you, read this guide.

We are traveling a lot with our drones. This guide will mainly focus on moving light, recharging your drone in remote areas and having a compact backpack.

Weight

Flight Modes

Internal Storage

No

Spark

Dimensions

143×143×55 mm (L×W×H)

Weight

300 g

Flight Modes

Advanced Gesture
QuickShot
ActiveTrack
TapFly
Tripod

Internal Storage

No

Battery

When it comes to backpacking with a drone (e.g., thru-hike or trekking in remote areas) one of the most critical parts is battery life. Especially the Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic Pro stick out; you will be able to fly nearly for 30 minutes, but − and this is big − you will not be able to charge your drone without a power outlet or car charger. The Mavic Air and the Spark can be recharged via USB (power bank). On long hikes and adventures, we use a solar charger to charge a powerbank, and our drone will never run out of power. With just 140g (Mavic Air) and 90g (Spark), the batteries are way lighter than the opponents.

Phantom 4 Pro

Mavic Air

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

Spark

Net Weight

468 g

140 g

240 g

95 g

Chargeable via USB

No

Yes

No

Yes

Flight Time

28 minutes

21 minutes

30 minutes

16 minutes

Price Battery

189 €

79 €

99 €

59 €

Phantom 4 Pro

Net Weight

468 g

Chargeable via USB

No

Flight Time

28 minutes

Price Battery

189 €

Mavic Air

Net Weight

140 g

Chargeable via USB

Yes

Flight Time

21 minutes

Price Battery

79 €

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

Net Weight

240 g

Chargeable via USB

No

Flight Time

30 minutes

Price Battery

99 €

Spark

Net Weight

95 g

Chargeable via USB

Yes

Flight Time

16 minutes

Price Battery

59 €

Remote

Here the Spark stands out; you don’t need a remote to fly the drone at all, which will save quite a bit of weight. We use our drone to make hiking videos; to be honest, to control a drone with just the phone isn’t easy. But with a bit of training, it can work out. I would still purchase the drone with a remote (Fly more combo) this will extend the possible distance to 1.2 mi (2 km) while increasing the height limit to 500 ft (152 m). Without a remote control, Spark’s transmission distance is limited to 328 ft (100 m) with a height restriction of only 50 m (164 ft).

The Phantom has an integrated display on the remote control, which can be helpful if your phone runs out of juice. But it weighs more than double than the other controllers.

Phantom 4 Pro

Mavic Air

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

Spark

Net Weight

700 g

no necessary
316 g

no necessary
316 g

no necessary
( 316 g)

Display

Yes

Mobile Phone

Mobile Phone

Mobile Phone

Phantom 4 Pro

Net Weight

700 g

Display

Yes

Range

FCC: 7 km
CE: 2 km
SRRC: 5 km

Mavic Air

Net Weight

no necessary (316 g)

Display

No

Range

distance: 80 m (without remote)
height: 50m (without remote)

With Remote
FCC: 4000 m
CE: 500 m
SRRC: 2500 m

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

Net Weight

no necessary (316 g)

Display

No

Range

distance: 80 m (without remote)
height: 50m (without remote)

With Remote
FCC: 4000 m
CE: 500 m
SRRC: 2500 m

Spark

Net Weight

no necessary (316 g)

Display

No

Range

distance: 100 m (without remote)
height: 50m (without remote)

With Remote
FCC: 2000 m
CE: 500 m
SRRC: 1200 m

Overall

There are two drones which stand out.

If you are planning a long hike and you want to take beautiful aerial images and videos you have to purchase the DJI Mavic Air: it is light, compact, rechargeable on the trek and still produces professional material. It is fast to setup and even has an internal storage of 8 GB (in case you forgot to put a micro SD card into the drone). Plus the batteries a quite small, so you can warm them up in your pocket while hiking in the cold (fly your drone in cold weather).

The other drone is the Phantom 4 Pro; it is more professional than all the others and the 28 minutes of flight time can be a blessing in some situations. If size and weight don’t matter, this is the drone that will capture the most breathtaking videos and images. It will take a bit longer to set up, but it is worth it.

In the end, the Mavic Air is the perfect drone for backpacking. Because it is light, small and rechargeable via USB.